Guide to High Definition
Camcorders
When are you going High-Def?
By Jack Fettman and Ron Seifried
courtesy B&H PhotoVideo“Just amazing” and “breathtaking” are only some of
the dramatic descriptions viewers express of
their experience after viewing
high-definition video footage. They perceive
so many various shades of color, with
sizzling subtle details, that they feel they
are live at the scene experiencing the
footage first hand. High-definition image
capture and delivery is exploding into the
world market with increasing momentum.
At home, consumers
adamantly expect the best-quality imagery
attainable from their cable, satellite, and
over-the-air TV service providers. Simply
stated, HD colors are vibrant and vivid, and
the image detail retains sharpness and
accuracy on the screen, corner to corner.
You can read the names on the football
jerseys; the type is extremely sharp and
clear.
In the past, HD image
capture was only attainable to real
high-end, premier shooters on location for
film, sports, and HD video broadcast
studios. A little over three years ago, the
notion of buying a high-definition camcorder
was inconceivable for the general public.
Today we can buy a full high-definition
camcorder which fits in our jacket pocket.
without breaking the bank.
In addition to features
such as compact size, camcorder
manufacturers offer consumers a choice of
methods with which to record their
high-definition video. We can capture HD
onto flash media cards, compact 3" (8-cm)
DVD's, hard disk drives, and MiniDV tapes.
Any HD camcorder with an HDMI output
(High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which
carries the video and audio signals through
one cable) can be connected easily to your
HDTV plasma or LCD monitor's HDMI input to
display your high-resolution footage
instantly. To process HD imagery on a
computer requires a closer look, with
greater understanding of the high-definition
formats HDV (MPEG2 compression), AVC HD (AVC
/H.264 MPEG4 compression), and their
implementation within your work flow. HDV
records HD onto MiniDV tapes, while the
AVCHD records HD onto consumer DVD, hard
disk drive, and flash memory card
camcorders. Their performance and software
support will be discussed below.
To cherry-pick the
expanded line of impressive, high-definition
consumer camcorders, let's start with a few
notable models within their class.
Flash Media
The
Sanyo VPC-HD1000 Xacti high-definition
flash media camcorder offers recording
either in 1920 x 1080i or 1280 x 720p full
HD resolution onto SD/SDHC (high-capacity)
memory cards. If you no longer want to worry
about changing or transferring tapes, solid
state recording onto flash memory cards is
your ticket. Every time you start and stop
the camcorder for recording, you create a
thumbnail clip marking the start of the
scene. This facilitates navigation through
scenes' files for access to any section of
your recorded footage quickly. The HD1000
incorporates a large 1/2.5" CMOS image
sensor with 4-megapixel still resolution and
encompasses the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 compression
scheme for high-definition. It has a 10x
optical HD zoom lens, and a fast 2-second
startup-to-recording time. The
VPC-HD1000 has an HDMI and component
video output, built-in flash and light, as
well as an external microphone input.
Hard Disk Drive
Hard disk drive (HDD)
camcorders are part of another
rapidly-growing medium for capturing video.
They offer the videographer the capability
of recording for extended periods without
the concern or worry of changing a tape. A
high-definition HDD camcorder with an
internal 40GB hard drive can record up to 5
1/2 hours of HD footage. Similar to the
characteristics of flash media, the HDD's
also create thumbnail clips referencing the
start of each scene, every time the start
and stop button on the camcorder is pressed.
Sony HDR-SR7 is an AVCHD high-definition
HDD Handycam camcorder with an internal 60GB
hard drive. It is capable of recording and
playing back both high-definition 1080i
resolution and standard-definition video
resolutions. Its professional-quality Carl
Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens incorporates
advanced glass composition with
anti-reflective coatings to ensure the
capture of brilliant images with life-like
color and tones. Its 1/2.9" CMOS sensor
provides astonishing detail and clarity, and
its x.v.Color technology facilitates the
capture and display of nearly twice as many
(1.8x) viewable colors than is currently
possible, resulting in imagery that is
richer in color. This camcorder incorporates
Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization
so that your footage has a smooth, steady
look. The camcorder can capture an
unbelievable 6.1 Megapixel still image, with
excellent definition and sharpness, onto
Memory Stick PRO Duo media. It has a bright
2.7" wide (16:9) LCD screen, built-in flash,
active interface shoe, and an external
microphone input.
Canon optics and image
capture devices are consistently synonymous
with performance and image brilliance. Their
exclusive DIGIC DV II, newly-enhanced image
processing for high-definition imagery
ensures optimal image quality on both video
and still footage. The
Canon HG10
40GB internal hard disk drive
camcorder captures up to 5 1/2 hours of 1920
x 1080 high-definition resolution video
without the need to change tapes, cards, or
DVD's. It implements a Canon HD-quality10x
zoom lens, a large 1/2.7" CMOS image sensor,
and RGB primary color filter. Together they
facilitate the capture of consistent vibrant
imagery with deep, rich, accurate colors,
and natural-looking tones, similar to what
you would obtain from a traditional 3CCD
camcorder in its class. Canon outfits the
camera with SuperRange optical image
stabilization to alleviate and correct for
shaky motion and vibration brought to the
camcorder's image sensor. Another
significant feature onboard is its Instant
AF focusing system. Its objective is to
focus the lens automatically with speed and
accuracy, even in low-light conditions, to
assure that your HD video will be crisp,
sharp, with increased resolution, and with
true-to-life colors. If you want to achieve
a “film look,” the 24p Cinema mode provides
the appearance of the same frame rate as
movie film to your videos.
Another popular hard
drive 1080i HD camcorder is the
JVC GZ-HD7. It features a 60GB internal
hard drive, and to ensure you capture full
1920 x 1080 high-definition video and
stills, JVC incorporates three 1/5"
progressive-scan CCD sensors and a
professional-quality FUJINON optical zoom
lens. The lens is comprised of three
aspherical elements and light-reflecting
coatings which allow for the delivery of
greater light transmission, with reduced
lens flare and ghosting. All this results in
exceptional HD video and stills. In
addition, the camera has a manual focusing
ring; to ensure that your video capture is
smooth and precise, the camera's optical
image stabilization compensates for
vibration and shakiness without any quality
loss to your HD recordings. The
GZ-HD7 accepts SD/SDHC memory cards for
still-image capture, and image files can be
moved between the HDD and the SD card. It
has an external microphone input, 2.8" LCD
monitor, and color viewfinder.
HDV Tape-Based Camcorders
HDV inaugurated Mini DV
tapes into high-definition, raising the bar
of recording for Mini DV tapes. The HDV
format became many semi-professional
filmmakers' highly-regarded choice of
format. It has the greatest support and
compatibility with computer editing
software, on both Mac and PC. Essentially,
there are two particular consumer HDV
compact camcorders that offer
high-definition 1080i resolution recording
with a host of features that serious
videographers desire for their productions.
When the
Canon HV20 was first released, it
quickly became a hit. It maintains Canon's
legacy of optical excellence and advanced
image processing. The HV20 incorporates
Canon's own full HD 1/2.7" CMOS image sensor
(1920 x 1080), RGB primary color filter, and
advanced DIGIC DV II advanced HD image
processor. The HD imagery that the camcorder
captures is remarkably stunning. It has a
plethora of features to help you create
dazzling HD video. To start, it features a
genuine Canon HD video lens with three
pre-set zoom speeds to allow you to achieve
a smooth, steady, professional-looking zoom
shots. It has advanced optical image
stabilization to keep your shots steady with
no loss in image quality, and its
revolutionary Instant AF focusing system
achieves crisp focus instantaneously in your
HD footage. You can choose to see Grid
Markers in your viewfinder to assist you in
composing your shot accurately and level,
and the 24p Cinema mode achieves a “film
look” to your footage. The
HV20 has an external microphone and
headphone input, accessory shoe, and an HDMI
output terminal.
Another great camcorder
for aspiring movie makers is the
Sony HDR-HC7. Over the years, Sony has
earned customers' confidence the world over
as a trusted leader in the manufacture of
exceptional video camcorders. Its
easy-to-use HDR-HC7 high-definition Handycam
camcorder is a winner. It captures 1080i HD
resolution video that renders vivid colors
with accurate detail. To assure that your HD
capture has the detail, clarity, and wide
range of brilliant colors, Sony incorporates
a 1/2.9" ClearVid 3.2 Mp CMOS image sensor
and their x.v.Color processing technology.
This technology captures nearly twice as
many viewable colors than is currently
possible. Your imagery will look more
natural, with tonal qualities that let you
relive your awe-inspiring experiences as if
you had returned to the places where you
shot the footage. The HC7 has a
professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar
T* lens and Sony's advanced Super SteadyShot
optical image stabilization system to ensure
that your footage will be unwavering. You
can capture 6 megapixel stills directly onto
Memory Stick Duo media, shoot video in total
darkness up to 10 feet away, and generate a
“film look” for your footage through the
HDR-HC7 Cinematic mode. It's a great
little HD camcorder.
Editing with HD
When it comes to editing
in HD, there are several approaches to
cutting your project on a Mac or PC. One of
the major issues to understand is the
difference between HDV and AVCHD, the two
predominant HD recording formats available
in today's consumer video camcorders. As
AVCHD becomes more popular with home video
aficionados because of its ability to record
HD-quality video onto solid state media such
as flash memory and DVD, more editing
applications are being upgraded to support
the future of ingesting video in a true
non-linear fashion.
The recently-released
Final Cut Express 4
supports AVCHD, so
you can shoot, ingest, edit, and output
video in just a fraction of the time it took
previous tape-friendly applications. By
taking the basic advanced interface of the
full version of Final Cut Pro and
customizing for intermediate video editors
who have outgrown iMovie,
Final Cut Express 4 offers LiveType for
title creation and multiple video layers for
advanced video compositing. Hundreds of
real-time effects, filters, transitions, and
99 audio tracks round out the intuitive
software.
But how do you import
video into your Mac or PC with HD video?
Most computers today come with USB or
Firewire ports, but they don't take
advantage of uploading true HD video. The
Blackmagic Intensity Pro is a true HDMI
(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) that
is able to accept uncompressed HD video
without any of the loss inherent with other
ports. Compatible with both Mac and Windows,
Intensity Pro supports 4:2:2 color space
for superior titling and chromakeying. This
capture card also allows you to down-convert
your HD footage for mastering to SD at
broadcast quality.
Finally, you will need
extra storage space to keep all of this
high-definition footage. The
G-Tech G-RAID 2 comes in several sizes
(2TB, 1.5TB, 1TB, and 500GB) and has three
interfaces (USB 2.0, Firewire 400 and 800).
G-Tech uses only SATA II drives with 16MB
buffers for quick response time on HD
playback from the timeline. Up to seven DV25
streams can be played back simultaneously,
including four HDV, three DVCPRO HD, two
8-bit SD or one 10-bit SD streams. These
RAID 0 drives are the perfect, reliable
addition for anyone thinking about using
their system for editing high-definition
video footage.
Whether you've already
upgraded to HD or not, standard video
technology today is springing in leaps and
bounds toward high-definition. Video
camcorder sensors are becoming more and more
sensitive, and their image processors are
incredibly more efficient and accurate. And
best of all, while this great quality is
constantly rising, prices continue to
tumble.
